The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.
At the bottom of the deep pit, Wu lay there, his flesh a bloodied mess barely recognizable as a human form; the immense pain coursing through his body finally erased his manic grin.
He stared blankly at the sky.
But Wu's mind was filled with memories of his own life.
He had come from a picturesque mountain village where he lived happily with his loving wife, but after the birth of their fifth child, his wife tragically passed away because they hadn't practiced family planning.
Before she died, his wife made Wu promise that, no matter what, he would protect their five children.
However, just as Wu returned from a trip to purchase supplies, a terrible piece of news shattered his life.
Bandits raided the village, slaughtering everyone without leaving a single survivor, including his five young children. Even the rescuers from neighboring villages urged him not to lift the white cloth covering the children's bodies because the sight was horrific... In his despair, Wu awakened his magical abilities, tracked down the bandits, and made them meet the same gruesome fate.
Later, under the false identity of Brian, Wu was admitted to the Miridian Academy of Magic; despite his age, his evident magical talent left no one able to look down on him.
But he could never forget the thrill of destruction he felt when killing those bandits. Unable to curb his urge to destroy, Wu committed many hidden atrocities.
Later, after graduating, Wu became director of the Fioré Kingdom's Magical Development Bureau and established connections with the Dark Arts Cult. In a certain Tower of Paradise, he encountered five children... Seeing them, his long-dormant desire for destruction finally ceased.
Realizing his fate was tied to those five children, Wu bought them from the Tower of Paradise and created a 'Brian' persona, sealing his original self with a 'living link.'
Wu hoped that this new outward persona could give the children a better life.
Brian indeed lacked the original personality's brutality, yet being born from the same source, he was tainted by the darkness within Wu, developing ambitions even Wu had never possessed.
Thus... the Dark Guild'Six Demon Generals' was born.
\"Ha... hahaha... hahahaha...\"
Although Wu was laughing, Hop, standing outside the pit, saw a face that was actually crying.
Magnetic field powers can read the minds of those weaker than the user, so while Wu's life flashed before his eyes, Hop was able to peer directly into his thoughts.
This is the classic case of a pitiful person having a hateful side.
If the bandit massacre had never occurred, Wu might never have awakened his magic in emotional collapse and could still be a simple villager today.
Unfortunately, reality offers no 'if'.
After avenging his children, Wu, driven by his destructive urge, became a monstrous sinner, and he could not separate himself from the evil deeds committed by the Brian persona.
Hop was about to descend and pull Wu out when someone else leapt into the deep pit even faster than him.
Midnight, with a frantic expression, hoisted the severely wounded Wu and shouted, 'Father! Please hold on, I'll go right away and capture that little magic healer!'
\"No need, Markbasis.\"
Wu called out Midnight's true name; among the Six Demons, Midnight was the most unique, being the only one who genuinely accepted the new name given by Brian.
Wu could feel that his days were numbered; although his body showed no signs of aging, he understood his life was nearing its end.
He looked up at Hop outside the pit and asked, 'How much longer can I live?'
\"At most two months,\" Hop replied after a pause.
Hop's severing technique, the 'Broken Life Path,' had stripped away more than ninety percent of Wu's vitality; surviving two months was only possible under the most optimistic conditions.
Wu was satisfied with the answer, saying, 'Two months, then. That's enough. Markbasis, let everyone surrender...'
No sooner had he spoken than Wu fell into a coma.
Hop waved his hand, and the magnetic field power lifted both of them out of the deep pit from a distance. Looking at the six demons, who showed no will to fight, he turned to the stunned Lio and the others and said,
\"This side is clear; I'll go back and handle the 'Nirvana.'\"
With that, Hop's figure vanished into the wind.
Regaining their senses, Lio and the others looked at Wu's tragic condition, then at the ancient city that had been largely destroyed, and could only think that Fairy Tail's name was well deserved.
Wu truly had the guts of a bear and the daring of a leopard, daring to speak of destruction before the Fairy Tail members; indeed, he got taught a lesson... Lio wiped away the nonexistent cold sweat.
Back on Galuna Island, he had actually thought that the combination of Hop, Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy posed no threat... Now, recalling that, Lio's heart raced.
Back then he was so bold... Fortunately, they later cleared the air, otherwise he might have been beaten half to death.
Lio suddenly recalled something: among the Fairy Tail mages he met on Galuna Island, his junior Gray now seemed only capable of beating Lucy and that blue cat...
\"Ache!\"
Gray rubbed his nose, then immediately turned to the pink-haired boy beside him and asked, 'Natsu, were you just secretly talking trash about me?'
'Do I need to whisper to talk trash about you?'
Natsu, with a displeased face, thought Gray was just looking for trouble and shot back, 'You're not trying to start a fight, are you? No way, I don't want anyone to say I'm picking on you.'
Gray heard that and his previous apology to Natsu vanished instantly. 'Damn it, stop bragging there; I'll catch up with you soon!'
'Hehe, but right now I'm the stronger one~'
'You flaming bastard!'
Just as Gray and Natsu were about to clash, they were swiftly suppressed by Erza's two rapid punches.
Seeing the two squatting with their heads in their hands, Erza sighed, 'You two can't fight without considering the situation; what if you disturb the people in the control room who are still researching how to shut down "Nirvana"?'
Wendy, watching Natsu being reprimanded and too scared to retort, clutched Xia Lululu tightly, saying, 'Erza‑senpai is really strict...'
'Natsu's kind of idiot needs to be dealt with strictly.'
Xia Lululu agreed with Erza's approach, but when she turned to see Habi still trying to befriend her with fish, the little white cat felt a wave of fatigue.
At that moment, Yoru, Kura, and Lucy, who were in charge of calling the Southern Cross star spirit for external assistance, emerged from the control room; they had just been researching how to shut down 'Nirvana'.
Now they had reached a conclusion.
Yoru spread out a blueprint, showing the underground structure of the ancient city; at the points where the city linked to the six magical mechanical legs, there were six massive mana crystals.
These six colossal mana crystals could autonomously generate vast amounts of pure mana.
As long as those mana crystals are destroyed, the 'Nirvana' that relies on mana will naturally cease.
'One more thing: these mana crystals must be destroyed simultaneously, otherwise the remaining crystals will instantly repair the damaged ones with mana.'
Kura looked at everyone and said, 'Each of you take charge of destroying one mana crystal; if that's all right...'
\"Wait a moment.\"
Hop silently emerged from behind Kura, his face lit with surprise, and exclaimed, 'Did I hear that? There are mana crystals that can produce pure mana on their own?!'
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